Caritas Europa, the umbrella organisation of the Caritas organisations in Europe, including Caritas Finland, calls on the European Parliament to vote at the LIBE committee meeting of 29 February 2016 in favour of amendments which would include the humanitarian visa in the recast of the EU Visa Code.

"Europe must redeem itself: vote for the common humanitarian visa"

Click to read the full statement from Caritas Europa.

Here are some advantages of the humanitarian visa:

Humanitarian visa is not resettlement. Both are needed if Europe is to address the current humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean. The humanitarian visa is a means for an asylum seeker to come to Europe safely to claim asylum. Resettlement concerns refugees who are in need of international protection, as identified by UNHCR. Considering the current dire situation of asylum seekers in different parts of the world, we believe that humanitarian visas would complement existing instruments, such as resettlement, family reunification and others proposed in a Christian toolbox.​

The humanitarian visa implies more solidarity among EU Member States. The EU Member State at whose embassy an asylum seeker asks for a humanitarian visa would be responsible for the asylum procedure. This way frontline Member States will not have to cope alone with mass influxes of people at the EU external borders.

The humanitarian visa means more security for EU Member States and less profit for criminal smuggling networks. Through pre-screening procedures, EU Member States could better control migration movements to Europe and give asylum seekers a safe and legal way to enter, thus reducing reliance on smugglers.

“I fled the war in Syria with my mother, father and two brothers. We had no other choice than to pay smugglers. We went first to Lebanon and then to Tripoli (Libya) – there were people from all parts of the world. The smugglers left us to sleep in a tent for three nights, and then we embarked on a small boat. It was so scary and dark. The boat sank and we ended up alone, swimming in the open sea. My father saved me from drowning, but he couldn’t save my mum and brothers – they died before we were rescued,” remembers Amira, a Syrian refugee who made it to safety in Sweden.

There are legal grounds to include the humanitarian visa in the EU Visa Code. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union gives the EU the competence to regulate short-term visas and the humanitarian visa has a short-term purpose. Only upon arrival to the country of destination will the applicant be able to lodge an asylum application with the responsible authorities, and only if this application is accepted will the EU Member State concerned deliver a long-term residence permit. Hence, governments should not fear this visa and instead proceed quickly in its application.